dillig



G. F. DILLIQ. NIINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, |920- 1,409,532. Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET I- G. F. BILLIG.

MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED sumas. |920.

INvENToR G. F. DILLIG.

MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man lunes. |920.

1,409,532. Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

ssHEns-SHEET a.

pppppp 'A l Irwem'on G. F. DILLIG. MINING'MAcHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9 I'92'D.

Paiend Mar. 14, 1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTOR :lull

G. F. BILLIG.

MINING MACHINE.

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4 e er1 Il 9 INVENTo IIB I G. F. DILLIG.

MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLwJuNE9.192o.

1,409,532, I Patented Mar.14,1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

//////7/////// 1F63 s Q @d ,4 ,so 55 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE- GEORGE F. BILLIG, or PITTsnUnen, rnnnsYLVANIA MINING MACHINE.

Application led June 9,

To @ZZ lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Gnonon F. BILLIG, a citizen ot' the United States, and residing in the city otPittsburgh, in the county of Alle glieny and State ot l)ennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new`v useful, and lmproved Mining Machine, ot' which the Jollowing is a specification.

rlhis application is in part a division of my pending patent application Serial Number 277,409, iiled February 17th, 1919.

My invention consists of a new and improved mining machine, especially intended ior use in coal workings and for similar purposes.

The practice in coal mines is to shoot the coal in such a manner that it will roll out from the Aface onto the floor suiiiciently broken up to permit it to be shoveled into the'mine cars lwithout further picking &c. it `frequently happens that the mass, instead of rolling out and breaking` up, simply shat ters and settles down as a mass on the floor. This mass must then be attacked by the miner with a pick or muscled out with a crow bar, either method involving arduous labor to make the coal ready tor loading. All of this work is usually done by hand, although various types o' mechanical loaders have been employed with very indifferent success.

A practical mining machine should be low enough to be used in relatively thin veins ot coal, and compact and flexible enough to pass along the entries, through narrow doorways and to reach every part'of the rooms. lt must also be capable oi handling all ot' the coal as it is shot down. Therefore an efficient mining machine should be adapted to ram, and thus reduce, the large lumps without resort to picking, bar-work, sledging &c. It should also be simple in construction, strong and substantial to resist wear and reduce repairs, and must be easy and inexpensive to operate.

lGenerally speaking, my machine comprises a tractorbase, preferably of the caterpillar type and upon which is pivotally mounted a conveyer adapted to be swung in a vertical plane and provided on its front end with a ramming shovel which is used to knock down hung shots, or reduce lumps too large for the conveyer tohandle, and also to be insei-ted into or under the material to be loaded, thereby ieeding the same to the conveyer.

being shown broken away in Fig. l;

Specificatonof Letters Patent. Patented 113.1', 14:, 19,22,

192,0. Serial No. 387,540.

vMeans are provided for swinging the conveyerrelativeto the base so that the shovel may be' adjusted tothe desired elevation.

`11i/leans are also provided. Qr cushioning the conveyer so as to relieve the jar on the machine when 1'ammne,.said means Serving also to resiliently holding the shovel down against the floor of thermine when coal is being picked up Afromthe mine floor.

The shovel may beflexibly attachedto the conveyer so that it may accommodate` easily itself to theiloor of the mine.

Means are provided, carried. by the tractor base, for .clearing loose material from in front of the traction members to facilitate the movement of the base.

I also prefer to provide a secondary conveyer adapted to receive'the material from the rear end ot the first named or main conveyer, and to deliver suchrmaterial to the mine car or other receptacle or point of deposit. Said secondary conveyer ismounted to swing in both a vertical and a horizontal plane, and I show the same mounted on the rear end of the tractorframe', ythe said frame being counter-weighted in `front to balance the weight of the secondary conveyet` and its load;

Other novel features of construction and arrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are, howeyer, merely intended to Aillustrate a practical embodiment ot my invention but not to limit the scope of the latter to the construction shown, Figs. l and 2 combined form a side elevation of a machine embodying the principles of my invention, the line of division between the igures being marked ca -a, the front end ofthe main conveyer Fig. 3 is a broken side elevation showing the front end oi' the main conveyer and the ramming shovel; Fig. l is a broken plan view showing the-iront end of the main conveyer-and the ramming shovel; Fig. 5 is a broken side elevation showing a modiiication wherein the ramming shovel is rigidly attached tothe main conveyer, instead of iiexibly attached as shown inFigsB and 4;,Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the tractor base L'along the irregular line 7ill-VI in Fig. 8;. Fig- 7A is a detail in vertical section showing the axles of the ,driving sprocket wheelsand assoclated parts also shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan viewof the tractor base with the conveyers removed and one of the caterpillar treads removed to show the tread arm; Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in Fig. l; Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X in Fig. 1; Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in Fig. 2; Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic View showing the drive for the secondary conveyer; Fig. 13 is a detail of the clutch control of the tractor base, seen in plan in Fig. 8; Fig. 14 is a section taken along the line XIV-XIV in Fig. 15 showing the scraper blades which form the conveyers proper and their mounting; Fig. l5 is a broken plan view of the same, one of the side beams of the conveyer frame being shown, and Fig. 16 is a sectional view along the line XVI- XVI in Fig. 1, showing the mounting of the secondary conveyer on the tractor base.

The following is a detailed description of the machine shown in the drawings.

Y The machine illustrated, is shown as comprised of four main` elements, the tractor base A; the main conveyer B; the shovel member C, and the secondary conveyer D.

l will first describe the tractor base which is preferably a caterpillar tread tractor.

' 1 represents a pair of parallel channels with their flanges out turned, which form the side bea-ms of the tractor frame. Adjacent lto their rear ends, said beams 1 are connected and braced by a pair of parallel channels 2, with their flanges out turned, secured on top of the beams l', as by means of the vertical channels 3.

4 represents the side plates which arev secured to the inner faces of the beams 1 n and extend from a short distance in front of the cross beams 2 to beyond the front ends of the channel 1.

5 and 5a are inturned angle plates attached to the lower inside faces of the plates 4. 6 'is a transverse beam connecting the plates 4 some distance from their front ends and to which is attached the angle plate 7 turnedV toward the rear. `8 is a floor plate secured to the undersides of the angle plates 5 and 7. v 9 is a counterweight, preferably a casting resting on the angle plates 5a of the side plates 4 in advance of and spaced slightly fromvthe beam 6, the function of said weight 9`being to counterbalance the secondary conveyer which is mounted on the rear end of the tractor base. The counterweight 9 is shown anchored in position by means of screw bolts 1.0 inserted through the side plates 4 into the ends of the counterweight 9. The side plates 4 are preferably tapered downwardly from the rear to the front edge of the counterweight, as shown in Fig. 1.

Intermediate of their length, between the beams 2 and 6, the side plates 4 are provided with opposed. upwardly extending trianguiar extensions 11 which are stiiened along their vertical axes by the inturned channels 12. The extensions form the standards for the pivotal support of the main conveyer7 as will be more fully described.

13 is a substantially semi-circular track rail horizontally attached to the rear ends of the beam 1 and the protruding ends of the rear transverse beam 2 as by the angular brackets 13il shown in Fig. 8.

14 is a housing casting secured at its ends between the side plates 4, the floor 8 being cut away to give clearance for the casting, and the rear end of said floor being attached to the bottom of said casting. 15 represents a pair of alined and idle axles each mounted in a pair 'of housings 16 and 17 in the casting 14 and preferably pinned, as at 18 against both longitudinal and rotary move- 85 ment. The inner ends of said axles are reduced in diameter to enter into and interlock together within a bushing 19 provided at one end with a circumferential bead 20. 21 is a bearing sleeve of anti-friction metal slipped on they bushing 19 against bead 20. 22 is a large bevelled gear rotatably mounted on the sleeve 21 and in mesh with a smaller bevelled gear 23 on the shaft 24 coupled to the shaft of a reversible electrical motor E mounted on the floor 8. Suitable housings 25 are provided for the shaft 24.

26 represents the tread arms, one for each 4 side of the tractor and provided with bifurcated ends.

The rear ends of said tread arms are mounted to swingon the protruding ends of the axles 15 and between the forks of said arms the rear or driven sprockets 27 are also rotatably mounted on said axles. The rims of said sprockets 27 are provided with internal gear teeth 28 in mesh with pinions 29 fixed on the outer ends of jack shafts 30 journaled in housings in casting 14 and having their inner ends provided with, preferably larger, pinions 31 which are always in mesh with the broad pinions 32 slidably mounted on the axles 15 and adapted to be moved inwardly into engagement or outwardly out of engagement with 115 the internal gear teeth 33 of the hub of the 'large bevelled gear 22.

.lt is evident that when one of the pinio-ns 32 is in mesh with the gear 22 the. corresponding sprocket 27 is power driven in the 120 direction dictated by the motor. lVheu the pinion 32 is out of mesh with thegear 22, the corresponding sprocket is of course idle'.

34 is a detachable cover plate for the central opening'of t-he casting 15 to enclose the 126 mechanism mounted. therein. y

In the front fork of each tread arm 26 is horizontally mounted short shaft 35 upon which is rotatably mounted between the forks the front or idle sprocket 36, preferably -of less diameter, as shown in Fig. l, than the corresponding rear or driven sprocket 27.

37 represents the continuous caterpillar treads, composed of tread plates connected together by pivot pins 38 carrying rollers 39 which engage kthe teeth of the sprockets 27 and 36.

The lower edges of the tread arms 26 are preferably provided, intermediate of their lengths, with a bottom flange 39 against which the lower flight of the tread bears when passing over an irregularity, thus relieving the tread of excessive strains on its link connections.

40 represents transverse webs connecting the front. forks of each of tread arms 26 in front of the treads. Said webs are provided with a forwardly projecting bracket 4:1 alined with the ends of the forks, and said forks and said bracket 41 are provided with horizontally alined holes for the reception of the pivotbolt 42. Between the inner fork and said bracket, in the case of each tread, a block 4:3 is pivotally mounted on the bolt 42. 4st is a, shackle depending from the block 43, and connected to the end of a leaf spring 45 whose center is secured yto the spring box 46 attached to the front center of the transverse beam 6, the side plates et being vertically slotted, between the adjacent ends of the angles 5 and 5, to provide clearance for said spring which traverses the frame directly in the rear of the counterweight 9.

Thus, it is evident that the front end of the frame is flexibly and resiliently connected to the running gear or tread arms, thus permitting the treads individually to rise or fall, according to the surface over which they are travelling without twisting or straining the tractor frame or the parts carried and supported thereby.

The hubs 47 of the sliding gears 32 are outwardly extended and provided with circumferential grooves whichare engaged by the forked ends of arms 48 on rock shafts t9 journaled in the casting 14 and having their forwardly protruding ends provided with upwardly extending levers 50 which are connected by links 51 and 52` respectively. to the lower ends of hand levers 53 and 54 pivoted intermediate of their ends on shaft mounted on a bracket 56 extending from one of the side plates 4. Thus b v operating the proper lever, 53, or 54. either tread may be power-driven.

1 prefer to conllect upper ends of the levers 50 by a helical spring 57 which tends to throw and hold both of the gears 32 in mesh with the gear 22. Y

58 is the control box for the motor E. which for convenience l show mounted on the side of the main conveyer.

The supply and connecting conductors are4 not shown asthey are well understood by. those skilled in the art and their particular arrangement forms no part ofthe present invention.

It is evident from the foregoing that the machine ,maybe driven forwardly or backwardly, or turned in any direction in a very short radius, the .flexibility thus obtained being of the greatest advantage in coal mine practice.

front vfaces of the webs 40. Thus the fend.

ers cannot drop beyond the horizontal but are free to rise to a limited degree to ride over obstructions.

I will now describe the main conveyer B, and its mounting on the tractor base to swing in a vertical plane in relation'to the latter. Said conveyer' is preferably of the following general construction. The sides of the conveyer frame are formed of the out turned channel beams 62 which are rigidly connected together by the plates which form the fixed lfloory 63.

The conveyer proper is of the endless type running over and beneath the floor 63, and may be of any suitable construction. Thus l have shown the same formed by linking together the scraper members 64 consisting of angle bars having riveted to the ends of their vertical flanges the angular plates 65 to which are in turn riveted the brackets 66 whose vert-ical webs are longitudinally extended to yeither side of the scraper 6ft and are provided at-their ends with holes to receive the inner ends ofthe pivot bolts 67. 68 and 69frepresent in ner and outer links connecting together adjacent pivot bolts of contiguous scraper members, 70 areprollers mounted on said bolts between the links 68 and 69. and ,71 are links which connect together the outer ends of the two adjacent pivot bolts of the same scraper member.

The Scrapers of the upper flight of the conveyer scrape along over the upper surface of the floor 63. the rollers 70 running along said floor tofacilitate the kmovement of the conveyer. The, rollers of the lower flight of the conveyerkrun on rails 72 yattached to thev inner faces of the beams v62` thus preventing sagging.

73 is a shaft viournaled transversely of the main conveyer in bearings in the beams`62,

underneath the rear end of the floor 63, the end of said floor being slotted to provide clearance for the pair of sprocket wheels 74, rigidly mounted on said shaft and over which the conveyer proper runs, the teeth of said sprockets engaging the rollers 70, thus drivingtlie conveyer.

One end of the shaft 73 protrudes and is provided with a worm gear 75 which is in to the shaft of the electric motor F mounted on a bracket '78.attached to the side beam 02. A housing 79, attached to the beam 82 provides a journal for the outer end of the shaft 77 and an enclosure for the worm.

80 is shaft horizontally journaled in the side beam G2 beneath the front end of the floor` (58, anc 8l represents pair of sprockets mounted on said shaft and extending into slots cut in the end of said floor to provide clearance. The conveyor proper runs over the sprockets Slwhich may be idle.

82 ,represents the control box for the motor F.

It is evident that the upper flight of the conveyer will transport the material to the rear and discharge it at its rear end.

The mainconveyer B is pivotally supported, intermediate of its ends, on the tractor base A in the following manner.

83 represents a pair of triangular plates depending from the side beams 62 and provided at their apexes with bearing holes 84- which register with similar holes in the plates 11 and channels 12 of the tractor base, said` plates 88 telescoping the plates 11 on the outside of the latter.

84: represents a trunnion sleeve extending` transversely of the machine through the said bearing holes, thus pivotally supporting` the main conveyer B on the tractor base The ends of the sleeve 84 protrude somewhat from the plates 83 and have mounted 0n their protruding ends the hubs 85 of the housings 86.

87 is' a shaft rotatably mounted in the sleeve 84 whose ends protrude andl have pinned thereto the bevelled pinions 87a next to the hubs 85.

One end of the shaftr 87, the left end in Fig- 10, is provided with a rotatably mounted hand lever 88 having a spring detent 89 adapted'to engagethe circumferentially dif',- posed row of socket teeth 90 on said shaft. Thus the shaft 87 may be turned, and with it 'the pinions 87a in either direction by means of thelever 88.

91 represents a pair of shafts, one ou each side of the machine, each s haft having its rear end fjournaled in the housing` 86 and provided with a bevelled pinion 92 meshing with the 'corresponding beve-'lled pinion on the shaft 87. The rear end of the shaft 91 extends through a block 93 which is capable of sliding onsaid shaft and which is proi.;esh with a worm on the shaft 77 coupledV vided either side with trunnions 94 to which pivotally attached the ends of double pivot links 95 and which are pivotally connected at their other ends to the main conveyer frame and the tractor frame, respectively, as at 97 and 98.

99 is a threaded nut into which the front, threaded end of the shaft 9iv is screwed, the two nuts 99 being connected together' by means of: cross rod 100 extending through pierced ears 101 on said nuts, thus preventing said nuts from turning.

l02 represent helical springs coiled about sain shafts 9i between the bloclrs 98 and the nuts 99.

lt is evident that by turning the shaft 87 in the proper direction, by means of the lever 88, the shaft 91 may be rotated to move the blocks 93 toward the front or rear ends of the shafts 91, the movement being caused f by the screwing up or unscrewing of the shafts 91 in the nuts 99, and the shifting of the said nuts von said shafts imparting movement to the trunnion .bloclrs 93 through the springs 102. By this means the front end of the conveyer may be raised and lowered as may be desired.

Theshovel member C is mounted on the front end of the main conveyor B in advance of the tractor base, so as to engage the floor or ground surface at the proper angle-.-

Said shovel is preferably a :fasting having a serrated front edge y103 preferably considerably longer than the width of the conveyer frame. The side walls 10e'- of the shovel member contract rearwardly and lit against the outer faces of the conveyer beams 62, the sprocket shaft 80 protruding through bearing holes in the sides of the shovel, thus pivoting the shovel onto the front end of the conveyor. The floor 105 of the shovel D dips downwardly under the front end of the conveyer so that the conveyer srrapers rise upwardly within a pocket which enables them to readily pick up the coal or other material.

The bottom flanges of the beams are cut away at the end to give clearanre for the movement of the shovel, the rear edges of the shovel walls being arcuate at the top. as at 106 to allow the shovel to swing on the shaft 80 until the lower, square walls contact with the ends of the lower langes of the beams G2, thus limit". downward swing of the shovel to a posi in substantial alinement with the conveyor frame.

Thus the shovel is sui'liclently flexible to Aiove properly over the floor or surf rce from which material is to be picked up for the conveyer.

In F ig. 5 I have shown the shovel rigid with the beams 62, the side walls 104!- of shovel being riveted or bolted to the outer faces of the beams 62.

lOl)

. the conveyer.

The'shovel may, in addition to its function of' picking up material for the conveyer7 be used to ram and knock down hung shots of coal and large lumps ot' coal too large to be handled by the conveyer, orto knock down material and reduce the saine to sizes which can be handled. r1`hus in tearing down brick or masonry structures the saine may be rammed and knocked to pieces with the shovel. and then picked up and fed to the conveyer.

The resilient mounting ot the pivot links and 96 preventundue jar and strain to the machine when ramming or knocking down material, and will hold the trout edge of the shovel "resiliently against the floor of the mine or other surface trom which material is being picked up.

lVhen picking up the material, the shovel is advanced in the proper direction. cit-her directly forward or at a side angle, by properly moving the tractor base.

I will now describe the secondary conveyer D and its mounting on the tractor base A.

107 represents upper and lower bearing plates attached to the longitudinal centers of the beams 2 of the tractor frame. and pro-V vided with vertically alined bearing holes 108 in which is iournaled the stem 109 of a yoke 110. The lower end of the said stein protrudes below the lower bearing` plate to receive a ball bearing washer 111 and is threaded to receive the nut 111g.

112 represents the side beams ot' the frame of the secondary conveyer. said beams being bent longitudinally to provide for tront and rear portions 112an and 112b lying in substantially parallel planes, the rear portion being higher than the front portion, and an intermediate inclined connecting portion 112C, there providing the conveyer horizontal receiving and discharcring ends with an intermediate lift from the former to the latter to elevate the material to the proper height for dumping it into a car. The beams 112 are connected together by the plates ot the lived` floor 113 which follows the levels ot The conveyer trame is pivotally mounted, to swing in a vertical plane, on the yoke by means o1y a trunnion shaft 114 which extends through the side beams 112 and the ends of said yoke, and under the loor 113, as shown more clearly in Fig. 16.

115 represents a shaft extending transversely through the beams 112 to the rear ot the yoke 110. and upon which are pivotally mounted the eyes on the upper ends of the screw bolts 116 whose lower ends are screwed into upper threaded sleeve 117 into whose lower end is screwed the upper ends of the screw bolts 118 whose lower ends are provided with eyes which are mounted on trunnions 119 on opposite ends of the curved truck 120 provided near its opposite ends with perinietrally grooved wheels 121 run ning on the track 13.

It is evident that by running the truck 120 along the track 1 3 in the proper direction, the secondary conveyer may be swungl in a horizontal plane. in either direction.

Thnsthe secondary conveyer is movable in either a vertical or a horizontal plane. or in both.

Means tor swinging the conveyer by runningA the truck along the track 13 are provided. as follows.

122 is a windlass shaft journaled horizontally, in the tractor frame in front of the track rail 13 and having its ends protruding. so that cables 123 can be oppositely wound about the ends of the windlass shaft and secured to the opposite ends of the truck 120. 124 is a hand crank on one end of the shaft 122. Thus by rotating `the shaft 122 in one direction, one of the cables is wound up and the other unwound, and vice versa, thereby swinging the conveyer. The crank end of the shaft 122 is provided with a square tooth ratchet wheel 125 which may be engaged by a locking detent 126 carried by the trame, thus locking the conveyer D stationary in relation to the track 13.

The threaded sleeves 117 are each provided with integral circumferential worm gear 127 which are engaged by worms 128 on a shaft 129 journaled in housings rotatably carried by the sleeves 117.

One end of said shaft 129 is provided 10.0 with a hand crank 13() whereby the shaft 129 may be rotated, thus rotating the sleeves 11T to screw up or unscrew the bolts 116 and 118, to lower or elevate the outer end of the serondary conveyer on its horizontal pivot, as 105 may be desired.

It is evident that the -tront or receiving end ot the secondary conveyer ywill alwaysv he maintained beneath the discharge end ot the main conveyer, thereby insuring the safe 110 delivery ot the material from one conveyer to the other.

The conveyer proper which is mounted in the secondary conveyer frame may be substantially identical with that already def 115 scribed in connection with the main conveyer. J

However. I prefer to journal the front sprocket shaft 131. in ournal blocks 132 sliding in slots 133 in the ends ot the beams 112 120 and adjustable by means of set screws 134.

G is an electrical motor mounted on a bracket 135 depending from the secondary conveyer :trame and having its shaft 136 provided with a pulley 137 coupled by belt 138 125 with a. pulley 139 on one protruding end ot' a shaft 140 journalled in the frame under the tloor. while the other end ot said Ashaft is provided with a pulley 141 coupled by a belt 142 with' a pulley143 on'a second trans- 130 verse shaft 144 journaled in the conveyer end. The other end of said shaft protrudes from `said frame and is provided with a bevelled pinion 145 meshing with a similar pinion 146 on the front end of a shaft 14T whose rearend is provided with a bevelled pinion.148 meshing with a bevelled pinion 149 on the protruding end of the rear sprocket shaft 150, whereby the conveyer is driven from the motor G. Suitable housings 151 and 152 on the beam 112 are provided forthe shaft 147 and its pinions.

In operation the machine is moved to the job by means of the tractor i- When the coal has been shot down, the showvel is ad justed to the proper' position or level, by swingingthe main conveyer, and is inserted into the material to be loaded by the proper movement of the tractor. The main conveyer discharges the material to the secondary conveyer' which is adjusted in the proper direction to deliver the material to the waitingvcoal. car. The iiexibility of the secondaryconveyer enables the machine to properly load the cars notwithstanding tnt shifting of the machine to pick up material..

When large lumps are to be reduced, or solid material'which does not require blasting is to be handled, the shovel is raised to'theproper elevation and the tractor advanced', thus ramming and breaking up the material into convenient size. Y

The low height of the machine enables it to be used in relatively thin veins whoselow head room render them unworkable with any previous type of mining machine which accomplishes the loading function.

The resilient toggle connection between the main conveyer and the tractor prevents injurious jars or strains when the machine is ramming, and also tends to hold the shovel in contact with the mine fioor.

The manner of resiliently supporting the front ends of the tractor frame prevents strains to the machine as it passes over an uneven or rough surface, permitting one tread to rise above the other without dan ger of straining.

Although, for the sake of clearness, l have minutelyy described the embodiment of the principlesI of my invent-ion shown in the drawings, I do not limit=myself thereby, but claim broadly:

1. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a ramming member at the front of said tractor base and adapted to be driven by the movement of said tractor base into the material to disintegrate the same fori handling, and a conveyer mounted on said tractor base to which said material is fed from said ramming member by the move ment ofthe tractor.

2; In a mining machine, the combination. of a tractor base, a ramming member at the front of said tractor base and adapted to be driven by the movement of said tractor base into the material to disintegrate the Same for handling, and a conveyer mounted on said tractor base to which said material is fed by said ramming member, the mount ing of said ramming member being such as to permit it to accommodate itself to the surface over which it moves.

3. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a conveyer mounted there on, and a ramming shovel mounted on the front end of said conveyer and adapted to be driven by the movement of said base into the material to be handled to disintegrate the same and feed it to said conveyer.

4. In a mining machine.l the combination of a tractor base, a conveyer mounted thereon, and a ramming shovel mounted on the front end of said conveyer and adapted to be driven by the movement of said base into the material to be handled to disintegrate the same and feed it .to said conveyer, the mount-- ing of said ramming shovel being such as to permit it to accommodate itself to the sur-v face over which it moves.

5. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a. conveyer pivotally mounted thereon to swing in a vertical pla-ne, and a ramming shovel mounted onthe frontend of said conveyer in advance of the base and adapted to be driven by the movement of the base into the material to be handled to disintegrate the same and feed it to the conveyer, the elevation of said ramming shovel being adjusted by swinging said conveyer.

6. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted thereon to swing in a vertical plane, and a ramming shovel mounted on the front end of said conveyer in advance of the base and adapted to be driven by the movement of the base into the material to be handled to disintegrate the same and feed it to the conveyer, the elevation of said ramming shovel being adjusted by swinging said conveyer, and the mount-ing of said ramming shovel being such. as to permit it t0 accommodate itself to the surface over which it moves.

7. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends on said base to swing in a vertical plane, and a ramming shovel mounted on the front end of said conveyer in advance of said base and adapted to be driven by the movement of said base into the material to be handled to disintegrate the same and feed it to said conveyer, the elevation of said ramming member being adjusted by swinging said conveyer.

8. In a mining machine, t-he combination of a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted intermediate -of its ends on said base to swing in a vertical plane, and a ramming shovel mounted on the front end of said conveyer in advance of said base and adapted to be driven by the movement of said base into the material to be handled to disintegrate thesame and feed it to said conveyer, the elevation of said ramming member being adjusted by swinging said conveyer, and the mounting of said shovel being such as to permit it to accommodate itself to the surface over which it is moved. Y

9. In a'rmining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a conveyer mountedthercon, and a ramming member arranged at the forward end of the machine for penetration into the body of material in advance of the machine according to the forward impulses given the tractor base and thc material being thus fed to the conveyer.

10. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a` conveyer mounted thereon, and a ramming member arranged at the forward end of the machine for penetration into the body of material in advance of the machine according to the forward impulses given the t-ractor base and the material being thus fed to the conveyer, the mounting of said member being such as to permit it to accommodate itself to the surface over which it is driven.

11. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane, a ramming shovel mounted on the forward end of said conveyer in advance of said base, and resilient means for holding said ramming shovel in contact with the surface over which it is caused to travel by the movement of said base.

12. In a mining machine, the combination of a tract-or base. a conveyer pivotallv mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane` a ramming shovel mounted on tl e forward end of said conveyer in advance of said base. and resilient mea-ns for holding said ramining shovel in contact withthe surface over which it is caused to travel by the movement of said base, the attachment of said ramming shovel to said conveyer being such as to permit it to accommodate itself to said surface.

13. In a mining machine` a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane, toggle mechanism interposed between said conveyer and said base for shifting the former. and resilient-ly connected means for operating said toggle mechanism. 4

14. In a mining machine` a tractor base, a conveyer pivotallv mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane, toggle mechanism interposed between said conveyer and said base for shifting the former, operating means for said toggle mechanism, and resilient connection between said toggle mechanism and said operating mechanism.

15. In a mining machine, a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane, opposed toggle levers pivotally attached to said base and said conveyer, a hub block to which the adjacent ends of said levers are 'pivotally attached, a. shaft extending through said block and having a threaded end, a nut on the threaded end of said shaft, a helical spring coiled on said shaft between said nut and said hub, and means for moving said nut on said shaft to operate said toggle levers.

16. In a mining machine, a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane, pairs of opposed toggle levers pivotally attached to said base and said conveyer, hub'blocks to which the adjacent ends of said levers are pivotally attached, a shaft extending through each of said hub blocks, the ends of said shafts being threaded, nuts on the threaded ends of said shafts, helical springs coiled about said shafts between said nuts and said hubs, and means for moving said nuts in unison on said shafts whereby said conveyer is swung on said pivot.

17. In a mining machine, a tractor base, a conveyer pivotally mounted on said base to swing in a vertical plane, pairs of opposed toggle levers pivotally attached to said base and said conveyer, hub blocks to which the adjacent ends of saidlevers are pivotally attached, a shaft extending through each of said hub blocks, the ends of said shafts being threaded, nuts held against rotation on the threaded ends of'said shafts, helical springs coiled about said shafts between the nuts and the hubs, and means for rotating said shafts in unison.

18. In a mining machine provided with a dirigible base and a combined material conditioning and conveying element mounted on said base and pivoted to swing on a horizontal axis, and to which the material is fed by the movement of the tractor the combination of a delivery conveyer pivotally mounted on the rear of said base to swing on both a vertical and a horizontal axis, the receiving end of said conveyer being positioned at all times beneath the discharge end of said member, substantially as described.

19. In a mining machine provided with a dirigible base and a combined material conditioning and conveying element mounted on said base and pivoted to swing on a horizontal axis, and to which the material is fed by the movement of the tractor, the combination of a delivery conveyer pivotally mounted on the rear of said base to swing on both a vertical and a horizontal axis, the receiving end of said conveyer being positioned at all times beneath the discharge end of said member, and a counter-balance for said conveyer carried by the front end of said base, substantially as described.

20. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor, a ram member mounted on said tractor and which is' driven into the material to be handled by the movement of said tractor, and a delivery conveyer mounted on said tractor and adapted to receive the material mined by said ram member.

2l. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor, a ram member mounted on said tractor and which is driven into the material to be handled by the movement of said tractor, a deliver.7 conveyer mounted on said tractor and a apted to receive the material mined by said ram member, and means for swinging said conveyer on both a vertical and a horizontal aXis.

22. In a mining machine, the combination of a tractor base and conveyor mounted on said tractor base and a ramming member mounted on the front end of said conveyer, the top surface of said ramming member forming a continuation of the top surface of said Lon'xeyer.

In a mining machine, the combination oit' a tractor base and conveyer pivotally mounted on said tractor base to swing on a horizontal axis, and a rammmg member mounted on the front end of said conveyer, the top surface of the ramming member forming a continuation of the top surface of the conveyer.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 8th day of June, 1920.

GEORGE F. DILLIG` 

